Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

Breast reduction is one of the most successful cosmetic surgery procedures in terms of patient satisfaction, according to a new survey.

The research was conducted by RealSelf.com, a US-based online forum for cosmetic surgery patients. Dr Gus Galante, a specialist in breast reduction surgery, said he was not surprised by the findings.

Dr Galante believes the reason that patients experience a high level of satisfaction with this type of surgery is that there are physical benefits to be enjoyed, as well as emotional ones.

Women with large breasts can suffer from back, neck and shoulder pain, which can prevent them from wanting to take part in physical activities. Dr Galante added that these women can often feel self-conscious about their appearance.

He said: “For them, the breast reduction procedure is about achieving a shape and proportion that allows them to feel normal.

“Both breast augmentation and breast reduction help women to feel more balanced and proportional, and may enhance their body image and feelings of sensuality.”

Recent figures suggest that there is a direct correlation between the number of people having cosmetic surgery and the state of the economy.

More than 1.6 million Americans underwent cosmetic surgery in 2010, an increase of nine per cent on figures from 2009, and spent an estimated $6.6 million in the process. Experts believe that this indicates the start of an economic rebound.

“We’ve joked for years that we could create an economic indicator about how we’re booked,” said Felmont Eaves, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Facelifts saw a huge increase in popularity, with procedures up by 35 per cent on 2009 and Americans spending $845 million on the surgery. Breast augmentation remained consistently high, rising two per cent last year, with around $1.2 billion being spent on breast implants last year. 

Although women accounted for 91 per cent of cosmetic surgery patients in 2010, men made up eight per cent of non-surgical procedures such as laser hair removal and Botox.

You might have noticed that there seems to be a celebrity baby boom in progress, with a variety of shapes and sizes on view for us to ogle at. From the voluptuous British television presenter Holly Willoughby, to slender Hollywood A-lister Natalie Portman, it’s quite clear that being pregnant changes the body shape in dramatically different ways.

And as the baby boom continues to fill the pages of glossy magazines, figures suggest that more and more non-celebrity women are looking for ways in which they can put their bodies back to how they were before they became pregnant. The Harley Medical Group has reported that bookings for breast augmentation surgery at their UK clinics were up 31 per cent year-on-year, liposuction up 27 per cent and tummy tucks up 15 per cent over the same period – all popular choices with new mums.

For many women, it can be very difficult to come to terms with an often significantly altered body shape as the result of pregnancy, and this can prove too much of a dent in self-esteem for some to bear. Surgical options are allowing these women to look and feel like they did before their baby was born and regain their body confidence.

Experts speaking at a conference run by the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS) have revealed that the cosmetic surgery industry in Australia is now worth $1 billion annually.

The Cosmetex Conference opened in Hobart, Tasmania, yesterday and is expected to be attended by more than 700 doctors and surgeons from across Australia and the rest of the world over the next three days.

On the opening day, the ACCS president Russell Knudsen told delegates that the effects of the recession had not adversely affected the market.

“Demand for cosmetic medical procedures has continued to rise with college member practices reporting increases of 10-20 per cent over the last 12 months,” he said.

Dr Knudsen added: “When you consider the number of cosmetic procedures performed, and the number of take-home anti-ageing products consumed, it is reasonable to estimate that Australians now spend as much as $1 billion annually on appearance medicine.”

It was revealed that the $1 billion annual value of the market was made up of a variety of procedures, including approximately 16,000 breast augmentations and 15,000 liposuction surgeries performed last year.

Plastic surgeons at a clinic in Michigan, America, have attributed a boom in a wide range of procedures to a change in attitude towards cosmetic surgery.

Dr M. Azhar Ali, consultant plastic surgeon at the Amae Plastic Surgery Center in Michigan, believes that breast augmentation, face lifts and many other procedures have risen in popularity simply because people want to take control of the way they look.

Cosmetic surgery is no longer just seen as a tool that can be used to reverse the signs of ageing, according to Dr Ali’s clinic. People are increasingly looking to correct issues with specific areas of the body, with the help of liposuction surgery and tummy tucks, in the quest for increased self-confidence.

His views are supported by research published in the February issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The survey said that 80 per cent of face lift patients reported improved self-esteem and 70 per cent noticed an improved quality of life.

Californian brides-to-be are spending up to £4,000 on plastic surgery ahead of their big day.

It’s only natural that a bride wants to look perfect on her wedding day and for an increasing number of women, plastic surgery is the answer, according to one cosmetic surgeon based in the Golden State.

Dr Jagdev Heir, medical director at the Sacramento Surgical Arts Centre, told the UPI news agency that more women are now looking at cosmetic surgery options ahead of their wedding in a bid to look their best. He said they will spend anywhere between $300 and $6,000 in order to achieve the desired results.

Dr Heir said: “Brides are choosing procedures such as breast augmentation, liposuction, Botox, collagen, and other injectables and fillers.”

The recently-screened American reality television show Bridalplasty, has certainly helped push the idea of pre-wedding surgical and non-surgical treatments. The controversial series followed 12 brides-to-be as they competed to win free cosmetic surgery procedures and a cash prize to enable them to organise the wedding of their dreams.

Cosmetic surgeons have noticed a rise in the number of women enquiring about tummy tuck surgery, liposuction and breast augmentation in the run up to summer.

New Jersey plastic surgeon, Dr Christopher Godek, said: “Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of women choosing plastic surgery to help them remove signs of pregnancy and childbirth so they look better in summer wear.

“Sometimes this series of procedures is known as the ‘Mommy Makeover.’ It combines a tummy tuck with liposuction and breast augmentation.”

Experts are advising that women considering these procedures book in soon, to give them enough time to have fully recovered before they slip on their summer clothes. Surgeons also recommend that only those women who are not planning to have any more children undergo the combination of procedures, and that these women should be close to their ideal weight and be in full health.

The focus of this year’s annual Baker Gordon Educational Symposium, held in Miami, America, was ‘The Transformational Effects of Volume Addition in Aesthetic Surgery’.

The conference, now in its 45th year, was attended by consultant plastic surgeon Dr Ralph Garramone, who runs a practice in Fort Myers, Florida.

In an interview conducted following the conference, Dr Garramone said: “The importance of providing volume restoration to patients seeking rejuvenation of the face and body by using injectable fillers or body fat was emphasised at this important three-day meeting.”

He added: “In the future there will be a greater understanding of the role of stem cells to enhance rejuvenation and restoration.”

As well as placing emphasis on the importance of dermal fillers to plump-up the skin on the face, Dr Garramone also advocated the increased use of short surgical incisions when performing face lifts and breast augmentation to achieve natural-looking results.

The number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures carried out in the United States in 2010 increased by 5 per cent, year-on-year.

Statistics compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that 13.1 million people invested in some form of cosmetic surgery.

Breast augmentation was the most popular surgical procedure last year, with 296,000 operations carried out – an increase of 2 per cent on 2009. Nose reshaping and eyelid surgery were the second and third most popular procedures respectively.

According to the ASPS, a significant number of the surgical body contouring procedures carried out last year followed substantial weight loss by patients.

Dr Phillip Haeck, ASPS president, believes the rise in the number of procedures performed is linked to the improving US economy. He also highlighted the fact that more people are now investing in surgery to help them stay looking younger, in order to remain competitive in their working environment.

He said: “There’s some pent-up demand for cosmetic surgery procedures. People have waited a couple of years or more to have procedures, until their finances were at least somewhat back in order. But all indications are that more consumers are again willing to spend more to look better.”

More and more women are choosing to undergo a series of cosmetic surgery procedures after giving birth, according to online newspaper American Health and Beauty.

The newspaper describes how for some new mothers, a healthy diet and plenty of regular exercise is just not enough to get the body back to the shape and condition it was in before pregnancy.

The term ‘mummy makeover’ refers to a combination of surgical procedures which includes breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, and vaginoplasty (also colloquially known as designer vagina).

Each procedure targets common body shape issues that women face post-pregnancy, including loose folds of skin and excess pockets of fat around the abdominal area, and breasts that have lost their volume, shape, and lift due to breastfeeding. 

Combining these procedures can end up saving the patient money and ensures that overall recovery time is as short as possible.